Europe's most charitable countries: Ireland and Romania lead in giving

Ireland and Romania are among Europe's most generous countries, according to a 2025 report by the Charities Aid Foundation measuring donation rates and income shares. Nearly six in ten Europeans gave money to good causes during the year. Ireland and the Netherlands had the highest shares of charity donors, with over two-thirds of Irish people giving. Romania showed a different pattern: only 27% gave to charity, yet donations averaged 0.4% of income, and overall giving including religious causes reached 0.9%, topping the EU. Europe was the least generous continent by income share, averaging 0.6% versus a global 1%. Nigeria led worldwide at 2.8%, while Japan gave the least at 0.2%.